84 A PERSUASIVE to 



Book, *De Beneficial cap. 17. hath much* 

 to this purpofe, Adeb gratiofa eft virtu* 

 (faith he) ut infitum etiam malis Jit frobare 

 meliora: Virtue is fo gracious, that it is 

 naturally ingrafted even in bad Men to ap- 

 prove that which is good. And again. Nee 

 quifquam tantum a natural* lege defcivit & 

 hominem exuit, ut animi caufd malm Jit. 

 Neither hath any Man fo far degenerated 

 from the natural Law, and put off Man, 

 as to be wicked for his minds fake, or 

 only becaufe it is his pleafure to be fo. 

 And again, Maximtim hoc habemits a naturd 

 meritum , quod virtus in omnium animos 

 lumsn fuumpermittit) etiam qui non fequun- 

 tur^ illam vident : Nature hath herein de- 

 fervei exceeding well of us, That Virtue 

 fends its light into all Mens Minds, even 

 they that do not follow it, yet fee it. 



Againft what is generally faid, That there 

 is nothing truly honourable but Virtue, it 

 may be objefted, that Learning and Know- 

 ledge is honourable, and yet it is not always 

 accompanied with Virtue, there being fome 

 learned Men vicious, as t.Augufilne alfo 

 fuppofes in that Saying, Quid pro deft effefer i- 

 turn ^feriturum ? I anfwer,That the acquifi- 

 tion of Learning and Knowledge is by fome- 

 thing virtuous and commendable, viz. La- 



boui- 



